They report that Roberto Martinez is interested in linking the 19-year-old striker with their Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku to create a very frightening partnership for next season.

Martial joined Monaco from Lyon for €5 million when he was just 17 years old. Lyon had to sell on the last financial day of the year and rather than let go of one of their established players they begrudgingly sold Martial – who was a France U19 international at the time.

Due to his age and lack of experience, the forward was barely used by Claudio Ranieri and only played 562 minutes, scoring two goals in his first full season with Monaco.

Famously he was the player that replaced Radamel Falcao against Nantes when the Colombian couldn’t believe that Ranieri would dare bring him off. That was Martial’s first appearance of the season, and his powerful run in the second half helped set up the winner for Les Monegasques.

Martial has fared much better this season and has been played both as a central striker and on the wing. His first goal of the season came in the 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in the Parc des Princes. He added assists against Toulouse and Marseille, and in March he has scored three goals in his last two games.

In a recent interview with L’Equipe he admitted he was pleased with his progression, adding that it was rare to see a 19-year-old striker lead the line for a Champions League team.

Last summer, Spanish side Valencia were heavily linked with a move for the out-of-favour forward, but Falcao’s move to Manchester United blocked any exit. There is no doubt that Martial would be interested in a move to the Premier League, but at this stage of his career, he is in the perfect place for his development.

Monaco have two more Champions League games against Juventus to look forward to, plus they are chasing Marseille for third place in Ligue 1. His pace, strength, skill on the ball and eye for a goal would easily be a great addition to the Everton front-line, but Leandro Jardim will be hoping his young forward remains on the Cote d’Azur for at least another season.

Andrew Gibney

Andrew Gibney started following France's Ligue 1 about 10 years ago and it is an obession that has stayed with him ever since.His writing career started as a hobby, but now he calls Lille, France his home and spends his weekend either watching Lille OSC or teams down in the fifth division of the French league pyramid, forever searching for the next Eden Hazard.A typical Glasweigan, he once walked 106 miles in seven days, from Sheffield to Lille, just to avoid paying for the Eurostar. Managing to talk his way into a few freebies from other clubs along the way.